Good evening everybody, and welcome to the aftermath of the attack on the orphanage. It's been an insane month here at Towson, but I managed to make enough time for this. I know, I've started another story on here, but I will never forget about this one. Now, time for the next chapter of Yugioh: Chaos Unleashed!
Crow: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, and Yugioh Zexal are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release!
Chapter 26: Blackwings and Dragons and Lightsworns, Oh My!
"What a mess," Martha groaned as they surveyed the mess that had been the living room. The sofa had been destroyed when it was used as a barricade, scattered pieces of it littering the entrance hall. The comfortable armchair that Martha had used to read many a story to her adopted children, including Yusei, Jack, and Crow, had had the fabrics stripped off and the stuffing scattered everywhere during the chaos. Books were strewn all across the floor, lamps had been knocked over, the place looked like it had been ransacked, if it weren't for the smears of dark red here and there on the blue carpet. Martha had quickly shepherded the kids out of the room and had Yusei and Jack remove the carpet from the room.
"At least we're all in one piece," Yusei told her gently. It was the beginning of a long clean-up process and Yusei had been more than happy to volunteer to help. Akiza was helping Yugi make an improvised lunch with what remained in the kitchen while Leo was leading the rest of the kids in some game. "According to Kaiba, the same can't be said for the other guy." He recalled the chilling story the Kaibacorp executive had told him in private while Luna told her story to the others. The Master was getting serious, and he wasn't above sacrificing a few minions to stop them now.
"Do you really have to go after these guys?" Martha asked, looking at him with a bit of fear in her eyes. That motherly look that all mothers, adoptive or otherwise, got whenever their child informed them about potentially dangerous activities. "I don't want you or anyone else getting hurt. First it was these Dark Signers, now it's this Chaos Movement! Why is it that you attract these kind of maniacs?"
"If I knew, I'd tell you," Yusei answered with a grin that earned him an ear tug from Martha.
"Yusei Fudo, don't you dare give me that cheek ," she said, releasing him when she was certain he got the message. Her tone softened once more. "I've lived a long life, Yusei, and I've raised a lot of kids. It never gets any easier to see them grow up and move out. You especially, Yusei. Ever since you and Jack and Crow all left, it had grown rather quiet. I just knew you three were something special, the moment I took you under my wing."
"Isn't that what every mother says about their child?" Yusei asked. "I mean it's practically rule one of the parenting handbook."
Martha smiled. "And since when did you start looking at the handbook? I hope you haven't gone too far with young Akiza over there." She cut off his spluttered protests quickly. "I see how you look at her. It is a wonderful thing you have, the love between the two of you."
Yusei's face was bright red. "That obvious?"
"A blind squirrel could see that you and Akiza were meant to be," Martha told him bluntly. "It's truly beautiful for me to behold. Just make sure you're ready when you decide to take that last step. But why must you risk that, your love, for a fight that can be fought by someone else!"
"I'm not sure someone else can handle these guys," Yusei admitted. He and Martha watched a couple of kids, a boy and a girl of about seven years of age, come tearing through the room, the girl chasing after the boy. There was a cry of "Cooties!" from the boy as they exited as quickly as they came, nothing but laughter coming from the girl.
"Surely someone else can take out this Master," Martha pleaded with him, "Stay safe for once Yusei! I don't know how I could handle losing you!"
"You know I can't just sit by while someone's threatening New Domino City, or the entire world for that matter," Yusei responded, watching them go. "If I know I can make a difference in the fight, then I have to stay involved."
Martha sighed. "You always were the first to stand up for others, especially those who couldn't do it for themselves." She looked at Yusei with pride. "Just remember that you have people to return home to this time. All of you. Jack has Carly, you have Akiza, Yugi and Kaiba have their own people in their time, even Crow looks like he's found someone to care for, though I'm not sure if she returns the feelings yet."
Yusei blinked. "Wait, what?"
Martha smiled. "I know just how Crow is, and I've seen the look in his eyes. But that's neither here nor there." Her face grew grim. "But don't go making any foolish sacrifices when fighting this Chaos Movement Yusei. Or even noble sacrifices. Promise me you'll make sure everyone comes home."
"This may be the toughest foe we ever face," Yusei began, "I can't-"
"Promise me!" Martha practically demanded. She obviously wasn't going to take no for an answer.
Yusei may have been able to face down crazy men like Rex and Roman Goodwin, but he knew better than to fight Martha on this. "I promise I'll bring everyone back."
The older woman nodded, satisfied. "Good." She groaned as she stood up from the less comfy chair she had been sitting on. "I'm going to help Akiza and Yugi make lunch, you should be helping Jack tidy up the place."
"Sure thing," Yusei agreed. He bent over and began to pick up the scattered books, doing his best to help the woman who had helped him in his time of need. The very least he could do would be to return the favor in this situation. Still, the Master had decided to wage war against him and his friends, and Yusei knew full well that in a war, everyone takes casualties. They'd been lucky that all the people trapped by Earthbound Immortals were set free with their defeat, including Martha, but Yusei had the feeling that they weren't going to be so lucky this time around, which was why he knew he couldn't afford to slip up. He didn't like breaking promises, especially ones he made to Martha
The Crow's Nest
Dani wasn't sure exactly what she was watching. Kibo looked just as lost as she did, though that was to be expected from a three year old. Crow was playing a game with the kids, but she found it rather funny to watch. They would do some weird hand signs, shout out the name of their apparent jutsu, and pretend it did something. It seemed to be immense fun for those playing the game, though Dani didn't see it. She did flinch ever so slightly when little Kokoro came up behind her and touched her on the thigh to get her attention.
"I never really understood that game either," Kokoro said simply, ignoring Dani's jumpiness. Kokoro was used to startling people, as Crow had told her about how quietly she could sneak up behind people, however unintentional it may be. "Even Hikari got involved, see?" The six year old pointed out the blue-haired girl, who was aiming a plastic shurikan at Crow. Her throw went wide and Dani was forced to move out of the way to prevent Kibo from being struck by the stray projectile. It didn't look lethal at all, a bright pink star with blunt edges, but that didn't stop Dani from dodging. She'd always had good reflexes, something a childhood in the Satellite would give to anyone, at least anyone who wanted to survive the rough neighborhood. Her new daughter giggled as she clung on to Dani, enjoying the ride. Truth be told, Dani was still coming to terms with the fact that she was now a mother, even if it was adoptive in nature. This was definitely not what she had envisioned when she'd woken up this morning.
"Watch where you're throwing those things!" Dani snapped. She blinked, realizing what she had just sounded like, taking a step back as everybody looked at her. At a loss for a response, she smiled weakly.
Crow was quick to save her from the awkward moment. "Nice try Hikari, but you gotta aim better than that if you want to get the upper hand on me! Now you better get moving if you wanna dodge my fire bullet jutsu!" His little ninja game resumed, Dani deciding to make her way to the kitchen table and sink into a chair, wondering why that had just transpired.
Ever the inquisitive one, Kibo wasn't afraid to ask questions as she bounced gently on Dani's thigh. "What's wrong Mommy?"
Dani gave her a half-hearted smile. "Not much sweetie, just trying to figure out some things."
"Like what?"
"I'm not really sure."
"Why not?" The young girl was relentless, much like how Dani realized she could be when she put her mind to something.
Dani spared a glance back towards Crow's game, which had kids laughing as they pretended to launch one jutsu after another. "Because some things in life can't really be explained."
"Why not?"
Needless to say, Dani was not prepared for a three year old's insistence on getting a satisfactory answer. Then again, she hadn't been prepared to become a mother either, yet here she was, far too young for the role in her opinion, but with no way out but to try and fill that role. "If I knew, I'd tell you." To her relief, Kibo fell silent as she contemplated that. Dani found that 'thinking hard' look cute on Kibo's young face.
Kokoro was next with the questions though, pulling out a chair with a little effort and plunking herself in the chair, reaching for a cup of juice on the table. She strained to reach it, as her little arms were just a tad too short. "So are you Crow's girlfriend?"
The female Blue-Eyes Duelist smirked as she leaned forward and moved the cup closer to Kokoro. "Do you ask that every time Crow brings home a girl?"
The young redhead smiled as she grabbed the cup and took a sip. "You're the first big girl he's brought to the hideout."
Dani thought about that, piecing together what Akiza had told her the previous night, as well as Crow's actions ever since they first met. She smiled. "Quite the honor, I'd imagine."
Kokoro shrugged. "You both have marks, I don't know what you Duel with, but I'm sure it's something that'll work with Crow's Blackfeathers, and you're pretty. I'm not surprised."
"Aren't you a little young to be talking about this kind of stuff?" Dani asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you kidding? Hikari and me talk about it all the time!" Kokoro said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The boys don't like listening to us talk about who Crow might bring home, but we always imagined this kind, pretty woman who could take care of us when Crow isn't around."
"I'm not sure I'm the stay-at-home type of mother," Dani admitted, feeling some heat on her cheeks. Kibo reached up and tugged at Dani's ponytail, her fingers fumbling through the hair as it looked like she tried to play with it. Dani shook her head to get her ponytail out of the way. "Please don't play with my hair Kibo."
"How'd you get those gray tips in your hair?" Kokoro asked, skootching her chair closer to Dani's.
"Just a little bit of hair dye, no biggie," Dani answered simply. "And it's silver, not gray. There's a difference."
The young redhead shrugged. "Not one I see. Can I braid it? Hikari never lets me braid her hair."
"I guess it can't hurt," Dani said, sharing a glance with Kibo. The little girl smiled at Dani before reaching for some of the animal crackers that had been dumped on a plate on the table. The female Blue-Eyes Duelist sighed as she pulled the plate closer, allowing Kibo to grab as much as her tiny hands could grab, which really amounted to about three crackers. Her sigh wasn't one of exasperation, but more of contentment. This was nice. Crow really did a lot for these kids, and they loved him for it, that much was obvious. She spared a glance towards the Blackwing Duelist, who was laughing as the boys ganged up on him, forcing him to the ground. He had a way with kids and Dani really respected him for it.
Chaos Movement HQ
"So, that's where his little hideout is," the Master mused to himself before toggling the communications key. "Well well well, I think it's time for our loving couple to move in, don't you think Allana?"
There was a brief pause over the comlink before his message registered with the rest of the Chaos Movement. "WHAT?!" That was LJ, the Monarch Duelist, exploding as he realized what it meant for his betting pool. "When did that happen?"
"Yesterday, if I'm remembering correctly, am I remembering correctly Thomas?" the Master asked rhetorically, grinning like the fiend he was. He was enjoying this way too much.
"Yes Master," came the sullen reply. "We'll be there in a few. Black Dragon out."
"Yesterday?" the raspy voice of Draco spoke up, "that would mean that-"
"Yes, I have won the betting pool," Matthias said calmly in his deep, rich baritone voice. "As I calculated."
"Like hell," snapped LJ, "I don't believe your formulas predicted that, you lucky sonuvabitch."
"No need to be a sore loser," the Master chided gently, "Even a machine can rely on luck every now and then."
"There was no luck involved," Matthias retorted. "Every phenomena has a scientific explanation."
The Master snickered. "No, Matthias, not everything. You really shouldn't place such blind faith in science. I mean, it only kept black people in slavery for another couple hundred years, as your precious science said they were inferior."
"That is not an apt comparison," the older man protested, "As it was science that later proved that assertion to be false."
"And how many scientific discoveries have been made over the years that were accepted as fact that have later been proven false?" the Master challenged, "The heliocentric theory, the theory of a static universe, one that Einstein really screwed the pooch with, global warming, all have been proven to be nothing more than misguided acts of science that people believed as gospel. Were there a bit of truth in them? Of course, that's the only way it could have been accepted, but tell me Matthias, is the sun the center of the universe? Is the universe static or is it fluid? Are the polar ice caps still there? Cuz if they aren't, then I would think it's time to start investing big time in the naval industry."
There was a grunt from Matthias as he took a deep breath. "To answer your questions in order, no, it's fluid, and yes, they're still there, no thanks to humanity. I understand that. But it was still science that corrected those flawed theories."
"Ahh, Matthias, you never learn," the Master said, shaking his head despairingly despite the fact that the older man couldn't see him. "I can never get over the arrogance of humanity. To believe that they can actually have an effect on the weather, when we still can't predict the weather two weeks in advance! It's a great joke Tell me then, can your precious science explain the phenomena that is yours truly?" There was a silence and the Master could just picture his minion thinking hard about it. He knew Matthias was trying to figure him out, ever since he had first met the man. Matthias may have owed his life to the Master due to his cybernetic implants, but that didn't stop the older man from trying to understand his savior.
"At the moment, no," Matthias admitted, though the bitterness was evident. He was frustrated in his inability to comprehend the man he served. "The probability matrix cannot account for your ability to distort time, among several other variables you present."
The Master laughed. "It's not a distortion Matthias, but I'll leave it at that. Draco, are you ready to take down the former Master of Faster?"
"As always Master. His Deck, at least, is familiar to me. He will not pull out some Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon type card on me!" Draco vowed.
"For your sake, you better hope he doesn't," the Master said in that menacing tone of his. He could feel the shiver that went down everyone's spines in the Chaos Movement, even the icy Bario. It was a delicious feeling.
The Crow's Nest
Dani decided that she liked the braid. It wasn't anything complex, but it felt good enough. Besides, it's not like she could tell the young girl who'd worked hard on it that her work was bad, especially when it wasn't. It felt similar to her own ponytail anyways. She looked at her new braid for a moment longer before tossing it over her shoulder. Kokoro looked at her expectantly.
"It's very nice," Dani told her, which brought a smile to her face.
"I gotta show Hikari!" the little redhead exclaimed, running off. "Wait there!"
Dani snorted gently. "It's not like I have anywhere to be at the moment," she said to Kibo, who simply nodded, crumbs of animal crackers on her cheeks. Dani wiped them off, nodding at Crow as he sat down in the chair vacated by Kokoro. His face was flushed after running around with his little "ninja" crew.
"Whew, those guys are getting good," Crow said, grinning. "It's hard to stay a step ahead of them anymore."
"I'm surprised you've got that enthusiasm for ninjas after what happened with that one ninja in the maze," Dani remarked as Kibo leaned up against her, looking for a snuggle.
Crow shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, well, I'm not gonna let those guys stop me from having fun with my little gang. If you let them affect you so much that you can't have fun, then they've already won. So I'm going to play with them whenever I can and protect them from anyone who might try to hurt them." His gray eyes met her blue eyes and Dani could see that the Blackwing Duelist would follow through with that promise.
"How is it that you've managed to get all, this?" she asked, gesturing around at the hideout, which was bustling with activity as the kids continued the ninja game, jumping and laughing all over the place.
Crow rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he answered. "Well, mostly I worked hard for other people so I could get this stuff for them. Swiped a few Decks here and there from the Securities for the kids, won some Satellite tourneys, underground fight club stuff, anything to keep this place afloat for them."
"You really do care for them," Dani commented simply, looking at the rest of the kids.
"Of course!" Crow agreed, "And you seem to have a way with kids as well. Nobody else has been able to get through to Kibo like you did."
"She's my mommy!" Kibo said with finality, as if that would clear up any confusion. Dani smiled as she looked at Crow with that look that said 'what more can you say?'
"Yeah, so with that," Crow began, a blush coming onto his cheeks. Dani was intrigued by this reaction, but let him continue. "It'd be nice if you could, I dunno, stick around here and help me take care of these guys?"
Dani looked at Crow first, seeing the hopeful look on his face. This was obviously important to him. The Blue-Eyed Maiden thought about what she could possibly do here instead of in her hideout. Obviously there'd be more activity with the kids running around, so her little thieving career, one born out of necessity more than out of the thrill of stealing, would most likely be done, unless Crow asked her to help steal some more Decks. That, she could get behind, at least. Then she looked at her adoptive daughter. Kibo was looking at her with a face that she simply couldn't resist.
If that wasn't enough, what the little girl said next pretty much sealed the deal. "Of course Mommy will stay, won't you Mommy?" She pointed over Crow's shoulder, though at what, the Blue-Eyed Maiden had no clue. "Asimi and Gineun and Joka all want you to stay!"
Dani glanced at Crow, who shrugged. "Imaginary friends of hers. She spends more time talking with them than us, but yeah." Dani nodded, looking back at Kibo, who smiled at her, that little three-year-old smile. She was about to answer when there was a loud screech from outside. Crow exchanged a glance with Dani. There was a second pause before there was a crash from the living room. Crow stood up abruptly as there was a hissing sound. White gas was beginning to form in the living room, causing coughs from the kids.
"What the-" was all Dani managed to get out as cries of fear began to fill the air. They tugged at her soul. More tear gas bombs came crashing through the windows,
"Everybody out!" Crow shouted, taking charge. "Stay together!" He turned to Dani. "We need to leave, now."
Dani nodded as she picked up Kibo, who was holding on to Dani tightly out of fear. "Right." Crow grabbed her hand and led her out of the hideout. Unfortunately for them, the only way out was through the cloud of tear gas and that left all of them coughing and trying to keep the tears from streaming down their cheeks. Little Kibo was crying, which made Dani angry. Her anger only intensified when she saw the skull masks of the Chaos Movement. If she thought she was mad, looking over at Crow, she could see that he was livid, and for good reason; while everyone had made it out, it was obvious that the tear gas was having adverse effects on their younger bodies.
"YOU COWARDS!" Crow roared at the Chaos Movement minions, numbering seven in total. "These are just innocent kids!"
"The moment you took them in, they became fair game," the lead minion retorted, which only added to Crow's rage. "Now we're gonna beat some sense into you and show you why you shouldn't mess with us." The minions began to pull out assorted melee weapons, including, but not limited to baseball bats, chains, and knives.
"No matter what happens to me," Crow said to Dani as he stood in front of her protectively, putting himself between the kids and the minions, "Make sure they get out of here safely. I'll hold them off for as long as I can."
Dani was having none of it. "Oh no! You aren't making some gallant sacrifice and leaving me with all these kids by myself!"
"Dani, these kid's lives are more important than mine!" Crow shouted, not taking his eyes off the advancing minions. Their skull masks seemed to grin at them.
Dani was saved from arguing by the younger ones. "We can't leave you behind Crow!" Daichi spoke up. He was ignoring the tears streaming down his face from the tear gas as he stood up bravely, the rest of Crow's little gang following suit.
"Yeah Crow, we're sticking with you!" Hikari added.
"We all go or none of us go!" Taiga finished. Crow wasn't able to see his smile, however, as he was busy avoiding a swing from the lead minion's baseball bat. Crow ducked under his backhand swing and landed a solid right hook to the minion's jaw, knocking the mask off and revealing a rugged looking man. Perhaps more importantly, the man had been knocked out by Crow's attack, allowing the Blackwing Duelist to slip the black baseball bat out of his hands and use it to block the chain that another minion swung at him. The chain wielding-minion was left in a tug-of-war with Crow. While Crow was tied up with that minion, the rest of them moved in to encircle the kids.
"Kibo, Mommy's going to take care of these bad guys," Dani said gently, placing the little girl gently on the ground. "Stay safe for me, okay?" Kibo simply nodded, letting go of Dani. The female Blue-Eyes Duelist smiled at her before turned around and facing the closest minion, who was tossing a knife, closer to a machete than a knife now that Dani thought about it, back and forth between his hands.
"Alright you sick bastard," Dani growled, glaring at the minion. "Come at me!"
While his facial expression couldn't be seen under that mask, the tilted look he gave her suggested amusement. "Right, a little bitch like you is gonna stop me? Your funeral." He slashed at Dani, who leaned out of the way. Surprised by her agility, the minion slashed again, to no avail. Life in the Satellite had hardened Dani in the ways of street combat. She was no professional, that much had been proven against Kuno in the maze. But sometimes even a trained fighter can be caught off guard by another more determined. Dani definitely had some determination in her. It wasn't just from fighting the Chaos Movement, that was almost a given at this point. When Dani leaned to the side and grabbed the man's knife arm as he tried to stab her, her thoughts were on protecting Kibo. While she was still new to the world of motherhood, she now understood why the story of the mother grizzly defending her cubs was often told. It gave her the strength she needed to rip the machete from the man's hands, using her newly acquired weapon to give the man attacking her newfound family a nasty slash on the arm. Howling in pain, the minion fell back while others began to step up.
"There's more where that came from!" Dani warned, holding the machete up. Any further combat was interrupted by the eruption of red and black fire encircling the entire group. There was a cry from the kids at the sudden threat, but the sudden eruption of white and yellow fire that split the two opposing groups was just as surprising to the Chaos minions as it was to Crow and Dani. The sound of Duel Runners were heard right before a black and red Duel Runner along with a white and yellow Duel Runner came roaring through the flames, screeching to a halt behind the minions.
"That's enough!" came the voice of Thomas from his Duel Runner, the Black Dragon. Crow wasn't sure if he should've been relieved or worried to hear that voice. He watched Thomas get off his Duel Runner and advance towards the minions, looking rather aggravated. The Blackwing Duelist noted that Thomas had his black and red Duel Disk on his arm, which got a groan out of him. He knew what was coming next.
His attention was drawn to the woman from the yellow and white Duel Runner, as she too was dismounting from her Runner and she too had a Duel Disk on her arm. When she spoke up, she too also sounded rather peeved at the situation. "You have overstepped your boundaries. We are here to Duel, not beat them to death."
"No worries ma'am," one of the minions piped up, still twirling his chain. "We was just gonna rough em up a little for ya, make em softer for you to take down. Gotta make sure the Master see results, right?"
If he had been expecting a pleased reaction from the two, he was destined to be disappointed. The minion found himself face to face with the man known as the Black Dragon, as he realized just how intimidating it could be to stare down those red eyes of his. Thomas was about to give him some choice words when he noted that children were present and altered his threat accordingly. "I do not wish to succeed if it means hurting innocent kids. There is no honor in defeating a weakened foe. You're going to leave now, before I hurt you so badly that these kids will be scarred for life after what I do to you. Understood?"
The minion nodded, knowing that the Master would allow him to make good on his threat. He didn't want to become dragon food today. "Gotcha." With that, the skull masked minions gathered their wounded and retreated, a hole opening up in the firewall, which was a pretty blend of red, yellow, white and black. Apparently when two members of the Chaos Movement worked together, their colored firewalls would meld together. It made for a lovely sight, if it weren't for the fact that it meant imminent peril.
"So, the mighty Chaos Movement is reduced to picking on little children," Crow said mockingly. "How gutless."
"I was not aware of any children when I was briefed on this mission," Thomas retorted, narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah, well, you aren't aware of a lot of things," Crow countered, "Like being on the wrong side for starters."
Allana grasped Thomas' hand, as she sensed his outrage. "It's okay, we know that we're in the right." She said quietly to him. "The road to utopia was never going to be easy."
"Does the end justify the means?" Thomas countered just as quietly. "I feel that these kids will be orphaned again if we defeat these two."
"Six kids against the entire world," Allana pushed, "It's for the greater good of all. We don't have to hurt these kids, because I know of an orphanage that they will be sent to once we take care of these two."
"You mean that same orphanage that the Master sent Hueso to attack?" Thomas asked. He knew that the Master was going to change the world, presumably for the better, but his actions today was starting to make him doubt the sincerity of the Master's promises. As much as he hated the Undead Lord and his Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, he didn't deserve to be zombified like that.
"Possibly," Allana admitted, pausing to think about it. "Just think about it, beloved; we take down these two in order to give all the other children in the world a place where they won't have to grow up in fear. It will be a world filled with light and happiness." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, to the surprise of those watching. "And I hope to be there by your side."
Thomas bowed his head. "As you wish." He faced Dani and Crow with renewed determination in his eyes. Red eyes met blue as Thomas focused his gaze on the female Blue-Eyes duelist. "I think it is finally time to see which of our dragons is superior, Blue-Eyed Maiden."
"Kinda hard to Duel when my Disk is on Crow's Runner," Dani pointed out, glancing at Crow.
The Blackwing Duelist smirked in return. "No problem." He pulled out a little remote from his pocket and pushed a button. With a roar of power, Crow's Duel Runner came zooming through the flames and halted in front of him, allowing Crow to retrieve both his orange and black Duel Disk and Dani's deep blue and silver Disk from the vehicle. He wheeled it off to the side, out of the way as he put his Disk on before passing Dani her Disk.
"So, let the battle of the couples begin!" Allana announced with a flourish.
"I think you got us confused with Yusei and Akiza," Dani pointed out as she attached her Disk to her arm, activating it.
"Oh," Allana said simply. "Well I could have sworn you two were…never mind. We'll continue this conversation never." It amused Thomas to see her rather flustered over such a simple mix-up.
"Come on Allana, you know what happens when you assume something." Thomas' tone was teasing, despite the setting, though he quickly grew serious once more.
"For what it's worth," Crow said to Dani while that exchange went on, "There's nobody I'd rather have Dueling beside me right now."
"Seriously Crow, out of all the time you had to sweet talk me earlier, you decide to do it now?" Dani rolled her eyes, but the gentle flush on her face didn't go unnoticed by the Blackwing Duelist. Putting those thoughts aside for the moment, he spared a glance back at the kids he'd taken in. They didn't seem all too worried, despite the grim situation. In fact, they seemed excited.
"We're gonna watch Crow duel!" Taiga was saying to Daichi. "With actual Solid Vision Duel Disks!"
"This is gonna be cool!" Daichi agreed, giving Crow a thumbs up when he noticed the Blackwing Duelist looking back. "We're with you Crow!"
"You can do this!" Hikari cheered.
With renewed confidence, Crow and Dani faced Thomas and Allana, ready to take on anything. "LET'S DUEL!"
Martha's Orphanage
Yusei, Jack, Luna and Akiza all gasped as their Marks of the Crimson Dragon lit up. They had been gathered around the kitchen table, enjoying the lunch prepared by Yugi, Akiza, and Martha when the crimson glow began to emanate from their arms. It was an alert from the Crimson Dragon, one they were rapidly becoming used to seeing.
"Looks like Crow found someone to Duel from the Chaos Movement," Yusei commented. "He's been itching to get in on the action."
"Let's hope his enthusiasm doesn't get him into trouble," Jack noted.
"There's kanjis in the sky!" one of the kids shouted, as he had run over to the window as soon as the Marks lit up. "Look!"
"Light, potential," another one of the kids read as everyone filed over to take a look. "What the heck could that mean?"
Yugi knew instantly. There was no way he would forget either of the Duelists he had faced. "I know exactly who is Dueling."
Yusei gave the King of Games a curious glance. "I remember who had potential; that was that Thomas guy with the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. But what about light?"
"I Dueled the Lady of Light shortly before Crow found Dani, Kaiba and I," Yugi explained, "She was a fierce opponent. Crow had better be careful."
Kaiba scoffed. "Oh please, that woman sent half her Deck to the Grave without any help from you. Besides, Crow isn't the only one there who can Duel. She has some capability with the Blue-Eyes White Dragons, so I doubt that Dani will be a complete pushover either." A light on the ground caught his eye. "Besides, I think we have more immediate concerns at the moment." Right on cue, blue-green flames erupted around the orphanage.
"Wait here," Yusei told Martha as the Signers rushed outside, Yugi, Leo and Kaiba right behind them. "And don't let any of the kids outside."
"Be careful Yusei!" Martha called after him. Outside, the fire didn't seem to be advancing, but instead it appeared to form shapes of various dragons, leaping and flying around the orphanage. A teal Duel Runner came zooming by, narrowly avoiding Jack and Kaiba, who had taken point on the charge outside.
"Catch me if you can, so-called Master of Faster!" came a raspy voice that Kaiba immediately recognized.
"Draco," the Kaibacorp executive growled, watching the Duel Runner zoom off. The flames parted to allow Jack to reach his white Duel Runner, but everyone else was cut off.
"I will not allow this slight to stand!" Jack declared as the two men in white trench coats reached the Runner. He began to activate the Runner when Kaiba caught him by the shoulder.
"Hey, I beat that buffoon yesterday, he used something called Dragon Rulers," Kaiba told him, "You better not lose."
Jack grinned as he shrugged off Kaiba's hand. "Please. There is only one dragon that can count as a Ruler."
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba said as Jack said "Red Dragon Archfiend!" at the exact same time. Blue eyes stared into purple, daring the other to blink.
"There will be a reckoning," Jack warned. "And then we'll see whose dragon is truly king."
"I look forward to putting you in your place," Kaiba retorted, "Until then, it looks like you have a challenger to put down." Jack simply nodded, putting his helmet on. With his Wheel of Fortune powered up, the blue and green flames began to part, allowing him a path. Jack zoomed forward, the flames closing behind him and blocking off anyone else from pursuing.
"We have to go after him!" Yusei said as he watched his friend go.
"How?!" Leo asked, "There's too much fire in the way!"
"This looks like the beginning of a Turbo Duel," Luna observed. "Remember when Yusei faced Kalin? The fire worked just like that."
"Great. Which means when these flames clear, we go after Jack," Yusei declared, watching the plume of dust that denoted Jack's Duel Runner ride off into the distance.
Yeah, yeah, I know, not enough Dueling in this chapter. This one was for character development. Can't really have characters if they don't have…well…character. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
The other day, I was discussing a certain possibility for this story with my friend, one that was most likely not going to happen, but we talked about this actually getting made into a show, animated and everything. Now I realize that it isn't going to happen, but we discussed potential voice actors for each of the characters. Of course, the canon cast is keeping the same actors, it's hard to replace Dan Green and Greg Abbey. So, here's my list of voice actors for each of my characters. It may be a bit of an all-star cast, but it's my fantasy, so, here we go;
The Master: Mark Hamil, because I've always envisioned him with that Joker voice. He makes a great Jedi and an even greater villain
Dani Aoimoku: Laura Bailey, because her role as Lucina from Fire Emblem was exactly what I heard when I heard Dani speak in my mind. And I like her voice.
Thomas Aka: Bradley Cooper, because a handsome rouge like Thomas deserves a handsome rouge like some of the roles Cooper has played.
Allana Hikari: Liv Tyler, this was my friend's suggestion, as who better to play a Lady of Light than Arwen?
Bario Aisu: Alan Rickman. Because he's always been the best for portraying that cold personality. A pity he isn't around anymore, but that's life for ya.
Matthias Machin: Christopher Lee, another voice I miss. It's a pity, really, but 90+ years of living, 60+ in acting, the man was brilliant, I just wish I could use his voice for this role.
Melissa Cocinella: Kristen Schaal, I need that slight lisp to complete the ensemble that is our Bug Girl.
Julius Octavius: Ian McShane. Another friend recommendation, I'll admit, listening to McShane definitely suited Julius' flare for the gladiator life. And my friend wanted to get McShane in there somehow. So I indulged him.
Kuno Ichi: This one was tough. I wasn't sure who to go with between Lucy Liu and Kelly Hu. Both are great actresses, it's hard to choose between one or the other. I dunno, either one works.
As for Noah & Alex Bushido, Louis John Bonaparte, Draco Regle, and Hueso, I haven't figured out voice actors for them yet. If you have any suggestions, I wouldn't mind hearing them. Or any other suggestions for the characters I listed. I'd like to hear your thoughts on who you thought my characters sounded like.
Response to Guest Reviews (in order with which they reviewed)
Guest: Will do!
Digihero 2001: It's an intriguing thought, as Leo did kind of get screwed a little in the show with Crow getting the Signer Mark instead of him, but it's hard to alter the canon so, abruptly. I want to give Leo the justice deserves, and so if the scene comes where he deserves to unlock Life Stream Dragon, then I shall, but I don't want to take away what he did against Aporia.
Guest 2: Thank you, I'm just trying to please the FF community
And to the guest who got mad at me for Slifer being "overwhelmed", which I said he was beginning to be overwhelmed, well, I have enough readers, so if you aren't going to read my story anymore, then oh well. Take care of yourself, and don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Reviews are always welcome, as is any and all respectful criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve and I like to hear your thoughts about the chapter.
Until the next chapter my friends!
From your Nutty Buddy,
The Eagle Nut